Thursday, March 22, 2012

Mini Mini-- Meah

What I want to do, what I am itching to
do, is to start my Kate and Alice socks.

And I am going to! I plan to bind off
the Mini Mini today—And I will skein up the silk for a second
larger Mini Mania—that is a more planned/organized scarf. But that
can wait a bit.

I might yet knit another Mini
Mania—but not a totally random one—another planned one. I'll
organize some of my sock yarn left overs, and when I have a pleasing
mix, I'll go to work. I have at least 1 skein of a beautiful blue
yarn that will be the basis of a planned mini mania—a single skein
in a beautiful blue--(from where? I haven't a clue!) But, this scarf
can wait too.

But if January's socks can extend into
February(as they did) then there is no reason why April's socks have
to wait another week and half and the beginning of April (proper) to
be started.

I fell asleep last night planning the
details of the sock—first the cast on—which will be Judy's magic
cast on, that works into a double knit cuff. I like the look of a
cuff—but I hate doing a provisional cast on, and then making a knit
in place hem for cuff on a sock--it's way to fussy.

So my solution is to cast on 128 (64
stitches per needle), join into a round, and double knit for a few
rounds--I am thinking 6 rounds. Then I can do a round of K2tog's to
create a knit in place hem.

The major disadvantage to this process:
keeping tension even on the purl stitches. The solution? I'll turn
the work inside out as finish the hem. Then the inside hem will be
made of the previously knit (at a slightly tighter tension) knit
stitches, and the public side of the work will be the previously
purled stitches (which, if history is any indication) will be ever so
slightly looser tension. This will be the perfect solution! I'll
continue to work “inside out” (knitting every stitch, but working
with the sock inside out) –as this is a good process for doing
color work.

After the hem, an inch or so in plain
stocking knit before the color work begins. Then, about an 2 inches of brown
and white patterning where white is main color, then a reversal and
another 2 inches of work with brown is the main color. This sounds
about right: Hem (half inch) plain, (1 inch) first half of pattern
work, (2 inches) second half of pattern work, (2 inches), plain, (1
inch) works out to 6.5 inches of the leg. An extra round or two in
each part—making them just a scant bit over an inch or two will add
another inch and bring the work to 7.5 inches before I start the
heel—and that is just about the length I like for sock!

It should be obvious by now—I am,
slight more usual, obsessed with the idea of knitting these socks!